R.I.P. Rose Marie, 1923-2017

Rose Marie was in show business since she was toddler, and worked on the earliest talking movies, and on TV, game shows, and the Las Vegas stage. She was the first performer to use her first two names as her stage name.

Earlier this month, she wrote an essay for The Hollywood Reporter about sexism in the TV and film industry. She tells of a producer who came on to her during a film she was making, and the consequences. She also tells of how her character on The Dick Van Dyke Show is still well regarded: "'Dick Van Dyke' Star Rose Marie: What Happened When I Publicly Sha....

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Oh, man. I'm so sorry to hear that. She was wonderful. The Dick Van Dyke Show is one of my all-time favorite sitcoms, and her presence in the writers room segments made that seem like the ideal workplace.

I did not know Rose Marie and Morey Amsterdam were childhood friends. No wonder they had such great chemistry.

As for the story about her and the producer who propositioned her, I can believe she wouldn't put up with it, although she paid a price. Just imagine how many other actresses would have either succumbed, or quit the business rather than having to deal with that nonsense. But she was made of sterner stuff.

I also appreciate Rose Marie's candor in telling of her disappointment that her role was reduced on The Dick Van Dyke Show as Mary Tyler Moore's role was expanded. Moore was younger and hotter, and "they" wanted to see more of her, and that's just how it was.

That's still how it is. One of our family favorites is Shark Tank, the reality show where entrepreneurs ask a panel of self-made millionaires and billionaires to invest in their companies. I recall reading an article about Barbara Corcoran, one of the panelists. She described how she almost got cut from the show before it even debuted, because the producers wanted a younger woman with bigger breasts. She talked them into keeping her on board ...

... but you notice they added Lori Greiner. They just had to have a younger woman with bigger breasts.